Gymnastics, cheerleading and other sports involve tumbling and vaulting. Participants must be taught to perform forward and backward handsprings, forward and backward walkovers, and vaults over obstacles.
Teaching students to perform tumbling and vaulting routines requires coaching and use of specialized, single-function training equipment. In order to master gymnastic routines, the students repeatedly perform the routines using the training equipment with assistance of a coach.
Conventional tumbling equipment includes a trainer that rotates along a gymnasium floor. The student jumps against the trainer to rotate the trainer and use its rotary motion to assist in performing a tumbling routine. A coach monitors and adjusts the position of the trainer during student use. The coach must manually reset the trainer to a starting position after each use. The trainer may be cylindrical, polygonal in cross-section. A generally rhombic trainer returns to the start position automatically but rocks back and forth after each student use.
Fundamental vaulting skills are not easily taught using conventional tumbling training equipment. A conventional tumbling trainer cannot be used to teach a student to propel his or her body horizontally in the direction of a handspring or walkover vault with limited upward motion.
Tumbling and vaulting training equipment is bulky. Storage of this equipment requires dedicated storage space. Conventional vaulting training equipment is heavy and difficult to move.
There is a need for a portable tumbling and vaulting trainer assembly that can be used to teach students both tumbling and vaulting routines. The assembly should require minimal adjustment by a coach during use, assist the student in learning correct tumbling and vaulting skills, be easy to move as required, and be easily converted between use for tumbling training and use for vaulting training.